Wind musical instrument



May 21, 1940. E. z. HALL WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed April 14, 1939 Patented May 21, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Edgar Z. Hall, Durham, N. 0.

Application April 14, 1939, Serial No. 267,900

4 Claims. (Cl. Kid-375) This invention relates to wind musical instruments, which I have named a Lip-A-Fone, and it has for one of its objects the production of a simple and efiicient instrument which may be easily played by the lips of a performer and may be used to imitate the notes of various types of birds.

A further object of this invention is the production of a simple and efficient wind musical instrument having a specially constructed and supported reed through the medium of which a performer may whistle or play the melody of any desired tune.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear throughout the following specification and claims.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the instrument;

Figure 2 is a front elevational View;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view;

Figure 2 is a front elevational View;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure l;

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 66 of Figure 5;

Figure l is a vertical sectional view taken on line l-'l of Figure 5.

By referring to the drawing, it will be seen that l0 designates the body of the instrument which tapers from its inner open end H toward its outer narrow end l2. The body in is provided with a tapering tonal chamber 13. The inner open end I l constitutes a mouth-piece having an upwardly curved ledge M. When playing the instrument, the player shall place the instrument to the mouth in a manner to cause the upper back portion of the upper lip to be placed in the groove or V-shaped pockets 24. The instrument should be pushed back against the players mouth to make a tight fit and to prevent the escape of air, and the center part of the upper lip should rest gently on the reed. When operating the instrument a very small space is allowed between the outer edge of the upper lip just under the nose and the inner portion of the ledge l4. This small air space between the outer portion of the upper lip just under the nose and the inner portion of the ledge M, as well as the air holes l6 and 2! carry the sound into the tonal chamber and out through the funnel or horn H. A bridge portion l5 extends across the bottom of the tonal chamber l3 near the inner open end I l, as shown in Figure 5, and is inset with respect to the ledge ll. The body 10 is provided with an air outlet it just beyond or behind the bridge portion I5 and within the tonal chamber 13. The body i0 carries an upwardly flared horn ll which communicates with the tonal chamber [3.

A relatively thin flexible vibrating reed I8, preferably formed of Kodaloid or other similar material, fits under the bridge portion 15 and extends upwardly and outwardly toward the open end H, as shown in Figure 5. The upper edge of the reed i8 is curved upwardly toward its center and is spaced from the bridge and free to vibrate. A protector strip of paper or other material i9 is preferably interposed between the bridge I5 and the reed l8. An arc-shaped clamping plate 20 is secured to the bottom. of the body Ill below the bridge portion 15 and engages the reed I8 to hold the same firmly clamped between the bridge !5 and the adjustable plate 20. The reed I8 is preferably cemented or otherwise secured to the inner face of the plate 20. This plate 20 is provided with a notch 2| at its rear edge communicating with the air outlet IE to provide a narrow slit and to facilitate the production of a whistling sound. The clamping plate 20 may be held in place by means of the screws 22. This plate 20 is provided with outwardly extending lip-receiving ledge portions 23 near the respective ends of the plate, as shown in Figure 3, to provide substantially V-shaped pockets 24,

The instrument is preferably made of wood, although the same may be made of any suitable or desired material. The horn l1 constitutes a funnel for the escape of the sound and it will be noted that the clamping plate 20 is adjustable by means of the screws 22 and is adapted to hold the curved reed 18 in place, this reed being preferably formed of Kodaloid .003 in thickness. It will be noted that the ledge portions 23, in conjunction with the body, will provide substantially V-shaped pockets or grooves to receive the back portion of the upper lip. The front portion of the upper lip is adapted to rest gently against the vibrating portion of the reed and the lip may be stretched taut or tight by fitting it into the pockets 24 at the corners of the mouth. The low er lip is adapted to rest along the outer edge 25 of the clamping plate 20. It is necessary that the reed it be of a very thin and flexible material so as to efiiciently vibrate as air is forced be tween the lip and the reed. Kodaloid has been selected because of the fact that it is moistureproof and is eificient in operation and reduces the replacement to a minimum. In blowing through the instrument air will also pass out through the openings I6 and 2 l, and this will assist in creating the desired sound which passes through the funnel or horn l'l. When operating the instrument it is preferable to have the ledge portion l4 rest gently against the outer portion of the upper lip just below the nose. The front or flexible portion of the lip, however, should rest gently against the vibrating portion of the reed to obtain the most efficient results. The operator should blow in the same manner employed when producing a whistling sound and should keep the lip gently on the reed. Excessive pressure is not necessary when changing from the lower to the higher notes, and although the pressure is varied it is hardly noticeable. The position of the upper lip may be varied with respect to the reed as it is not necessary that the forward portion of the lip contact exactly the same place on the reed.

By referring particularly to Figure 5, it will be noted that the reed I8 is inserted with respect to the outer ledge portion 14, and that this reed I8 is inclined upwardly when in an opposite direction to the upper face of the inclined upper face of the bridge portion l5. In this way, the reed l8 will be protected and shielded from contact with foreign objects, and because of the fact that the lip of the performer may extend into the relatively wide mouth portion or open end ll for contact with the reed l8, the reed 58 may be properly vibrated and at the same time properly shielded from injury by foreign objects because of the inset relation of the reed with respect to the outer edge or ledge portion 14.

In playing the instrument, the same principle is used as that employed in whistling a tune, with the exception that only the upper lip is used in conjunction with the reed l8. When placing the reed IS in position it is preferable to secure the convex side of the reed should it curl up, to the upper face of the plate 26 so that the normal contour of the reed might be followed. W'hen first using the instrument the performer should first make a few sounds to test out the same and with practice any tune may be easily played and the performer may also imitate various types of birds.

It should be understood that certain detail changes in the mechanical construction may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention, so long as such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what I claim is:

1. An instrument of the class described comprising a hollow body constituting a tonal chamher having a relatively wide open lip-receiving portion at one end into which the lip of a performer is adapted to extend, an upwardly extending flexible vibrating reed carried by the body and inset with respect to the outer edge of the lip-receiving portion whereby the outer edge of the lip-receiving portion will shield and protect the reed against injury by foreign objects, the upper edge of the reed being free to vibrate and against which the upper lip of a performer is adapted to rest, the tonal chamber having an outlet, and means for holding the reed within the body portion.

2. An instrument of the class described comprising a hollow body constituting a tonal chamber having a relatively wide open lip-receiving portion at one end into which the lip of a performer is adapted to extend, an upwardly extending flexible vibrating reed carried by the body and inset with respect to the outer edge of the lip-receiving portion whereby the outer edge of the lip-receiving portion will shield and protect the reed against injury by foreign objects, the upper edge of the reed being free to vibrate and against which the upper lip of a performer is adapted to rest, a downwardly extending air duct located at the rear of the reed, an upwardly extending sound-diffusing horn communicating with the hollow body, a detachable clamping plate for removably clamping the reed in position upon the bottom of the body, and outwardly extending lip-receiving ledge portions carried near the respective edges of the clamping plate and located inwardly of the edge of the lip-receiving portion adapted to contact the ends of the lip for stretching the lip taut across the reed as the instrument is firmly pressed against the upper lip of a performer.

An instrument of the class described com prising a hollow body constituting a tonal chamber having a relatively wide open lip-receiving portion at one end into which the lip of a per former is adapted to extend, an upwardly extending flexible vibrating reed carried by the body and inset with respect to the outer edge of the lip-receiving portion whereby the outer edge of the lip-receiving portion will shield and protect the reed against injury by foreign objects, the iii upper edge of the reed being free to vibrate and against which the upper lip of a performer is adapted to rest. and lip-receiving ledge portions carried by the body near the opposite ends of the relatively wide open lip-receiving portion and z.

spaced from the ends of the lip-receiving portion to provide substantially V-shaped pockets for receiving the corners of the mouth of a performer whereby the lip of the performer may be stretched in a taut position in contact with the reed as the instrument is firmly pressed against the upper lip.

4%. An instrument of the class described comprising a hollow body constituting a tonal chamoer having a relatively wide open lip-receiving portion at one end into which the lip of a performer is adapted to extend, an upwardly extending flexible vibrating reed carried by the body and inset with respect to the outer edge of the lip-receiving portion whereby the outer edge of the lip-receiving portion will shield and protect the reed against injury by foreign objects, the upper edge of the reed being free to vibrate and against which the upper lip of a performer adapted to rest, and lip-receiving ledge portions carri d by the body near the opposite ends of the relatively wide open lip-receiving portion and spaced from the ends of the lip-receiving portion to provide substantially V-shaped pockets for receiving the corners of the mouth of a performer whereby the lip of the performer may be stretched in a taut position in contact with the reed the instrument is firmly pressed against the upper lip, a bridge portion adapted to clamp the reed in its inset position with respect to the body, an arcshaped clamping plate secured to the bottom of the body below the bridge portion and engaging the reed for firmly clamping the reed in position, and a protector strip interposed between the bridge portion and the rib.

EDGAR Z. HALL. 

